PERU'S PRESIDENT FACES 75 PERCENT DISAPPROVAL RATING

LIMA, Jan 14 (NNN-EFE)--Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski faces his weakest political moment as his government's popularity sinks to 20 percent, the lowest mark since he took office in 2016.

A poll conducted by Datum International and published Friday revealed Kuczynski's disapproval rating has reached 75 percent in the midst of a political crisis marked by a corruption scandal that almost resulted in his impeachment and the subsequent "humanitarian" pardon granted for former President Alberto Fujimori, convicted for crimes against humanity.

However, the Odebrecht-related corruption scandal and Fujimori's pardon accounts are not the top reasons cited by those surveyed. Of those asked 22 percent rated Kuczynski's government poorly citing "bad management" and lack of good public works, 18 percent highlighted poor governability, 15 percent mentioned Fujimori's pardon, 14 percent said he was a lair, while 13 percent pointed out his implication in the Odebrecht corruption scandal.

The same poll revealed that 78 percent of surveyed Peruvians believe the presidential pardon was granted to Fujimori as part of a negotiation with the "fujimorista" legislative bloc to avoid impeachment over Kuczynski's alleged involvement in Odebrecht's corruption scheme.--NNN-EFE